Winnie!

Taylor had a riding lesson this week. She rode Winnie. Her instructor, Sam, thought it was time to take her off Sheena. Winnie is much smaller than Sheena. Winnie is full of spunk! She is very laid back, but has a one track mind...food! She wanted to get back to the stalls were it was warm and eat. She gives Taylor a harder time when she rides her. Taylor has worked with her before. Taylor can be too submissive with the horses. Tommy went with us this week. We all teased Taylor and told her to pretend the horse was Raegan... Riding is on hold for a few months. Her instructor is expecting her first baby in a few weeks. We will resume in March-April if the weather is good. Taylor has created a horse account. Her left over birthday money went into it. She is saving for spring lessons. Her goal is to SUB LEASE a horse. It gives her access to a horse 3 to 4 times a week. She is saving for that. Tommy and I wouldn't want her to start that until the weather gets warm. We also want her to save and work towards her goal. She will appreciate it more. I am so proud of her. She hasn't given up. She sees that riding is hard work. She is determined.

Tom's Baptism

On Sunday, Tom was baptised. We were all thrilled that he decided to make that decision. My family went to his church and supported him. It was very moving. We went back to his house to celebrate with a delicious lunch. It was one of Tommy's favorite meals. It was nice to spend time with the family.

Halloween Party!

This weekend our church had their Halloween Party! It was at my cousin's farm. We started the night with a Contemporary Church Service in the barn. Our church added this services on Saturday nights. I love it. It is my favorite. They decided to have it be the kick-off to the party this year. We had over 150 people attend just the service! Awesome! Tommy helped park cars...Amazing! Taylor was in the Haunted Hayride so she was busy getting her makeup on. Michaela, Raegan and I enjoyed the service. It hit me in the middle of the service...Answered prayer....My entire family was participating in a church function! God and I were thrilled!

Michaela was so confused. She kept telling me "that it wasn't snowing." When the sun went down it got cold.....So I made the girls dig out the winter gear.
Taylor was so happy so could participate this year. The Youth Group Leaders and lots of adults loaded the kids up and headed out to the woods. They had tiki torches and pumpkins lining the trails for the Haunted Hay Ride. They had a non-scary and a scary ride. They had 3 wagons running full of people. We have no idea how many people actually came. It went so smooth. Some people rode, lots of people ate, roasted marshmallows, played games, and had some wonderful fellowship. We had so many new visitors this year. Well over 200 people were there!

Taylor's part was a girl in a swing! Spooky...My crazy girlfriend, Carrie, came out of the woods like a "swamp thing" and chased Taylor over to a well. Of course Taylor was screaming for help....She gets to the well and another creature ( a girl in high school)is reaching out to grab Taylor so she runs away screaming...I was so proud. She is a natural...She was so nervous. She didn't eat all day.

The kids were so hungry when they got back to the barn. Taylor can't wait until next year to be in it, again. Maybe I can get Tommy and I a part. We could be the bride and groom....I am sure he will want to stick with parking the minivans!!

Pumpkin Carving!

Our church held a Pumpkin Carving Night! It was packed full of kids. We carved over 60 pumpkins that were used for the Halloween Party! We had so much fun. My family had a wild week, so it was nice to relax and get messy! I love that our church offers activities for kids and families. I love that my girls feel at home there!

Taylor went early to help unload all of the pumpkins. She had picked 3 out for us. Some of the other Youth Group kids went to help, too.
Michaela and one of her favorite buddies! She loved helping.

Michaela's pumpkin is on the end. She chose what shape she wanted for the eyes, nose, and mouth. She loves being with the big girls.

Pumpkin Cake!

This cake is Huge! I made it for a friend going to a clam bake. She will be able to feed the whole state. It weighs a ton!

Happy Boss' Day!

Not one of my favorite cakes I've made. Hopefully, the client will be happy.

The Pumpkin Patch!

Michaela had a great time on her field trip. Tommy had the day off and he went to with us. He had a chance to meet all of her friends. The weather was perfect. The bugs were bad, but we managed. We started the morning off learning about the different types of pumpkins and apples. We learned about their life cycles. Each child received an apple to munch on and we headed on to the Hay wagon. The wagons were awesome. They had built in wooden seats and no hay!!

We were dropped off in the field to search for the perfect pumpkin.





This is always everyone's favorite part of the day. The views are beautiful there. They have a winery now, too! Have to plan a "Mom's Field Trip" and check that out!

Okay! Imagine a giant pillow that you can bounce on coming out of the ground!

A Moon Bounce with no walls!

Moms and Dad's can play on it, too.

We had a wonderful day with Michaela. It was nice to spend time with her. She fed some animals, went down some slides, and played on the playground... Life is good!

Haircut day!

School was closed today, so I took advantage and scheduled hair appointments.With 3 girls and a very hectic schedule, appointments are so challenging. I have to schedule one child at a time. Raegan got her bangs trimmed. That was a real treat or Paula. (our hairdresser for more than 15 years) Raegan still had that "stuff" in her hair from the hotel hot tub. Paula gave us some magic potion. I am sure that will bring back the shine in Raegan's gorgeous hair.

Michaela needed a trim, too. We always put her hair in a ponytail. She runs when she sees the brush. She screams when she sees the hair dryer! This was her third haircut. She loves to have her nails painted. Hairdos are a different story. I was very worried. This is the before photo...

No tears! She is still doing great. The girls and I were floored...She sat so still for Paula. She took an inch or so off. Tommy and I couldn't even tell. It is rare for her hair to be down.

The Prize!!!! Paula always has lollipops for children who sit still. We were all proud of her.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun!

We booked a suite at TheFairField Marriott. It was a tight squeeze but we had a blast. All I can say is I am thankful I don't have to get seven girls ready everyday! I was impressed by each one of them. They all behaved and didn't give me any trouble at all. I didn't hear one complaint the entire time. We even got by with NO GIRL DRAMA!

This is Taylor's cake I made.

We took a break from the pool and ordered some pizza. Watched some t.v., opened some presents, and headed back to the pool!

Cheers! Raegan was such a big girl. One of Taylor's friends was not able to make it, so she "allowed"Raegan to come. She stayed out of the girls way when she needed to. She was my buddy for the night. She slept with me on my side of the suite. This allowed the girls to watch their shows, talk, and play truth or dare...Mmmm!!

Some of the girls were tired of swimming so they found ways to entertain themselves. The others are in the hot tub!

Relaxing in the hot tub! Little did they know...their hair would be nasty when they came out and their suits would be 5 shades lighter. Raegan's hair is still nasty and sticky. I had to get special shampoo to fix it....Oh, well! They loved it.

Taylor P. and Raegan!

"Happy Birthday to you"....with imaginary candles!

Good Morning! I think the girls feel asleep about 12:30. I got them up around 7:30. We headed downstairs for breakfast. Some of the girls were heading out of town. I had to head home early to go to work. I knew it would take awhile to get everyone delivered and picked up. We had a great time. I am thrilled we went. It was nice to the hear girls giggle and act silly. Hopefully, Taylor will remember this party for along time!

A Visit with the Firefighters!

Every year we invite the local Fire Department to come in and talk to the children about Fire Safety. (One of our staff member's husband is a proud member of the department.) We always enjoy having them come in to talk to the students. Some children are scared of firemen. We want to show them that they are are real people under that big uniform. The Department always does a great job. They start with an officer in a regular uniform and suit him or her one piece at a time. The whole time talking to the students. Michaela was a little hesitant. She was hiding behind her teacher at one point. She never cried. Hopefully, we will never have to be in the situation for her to have to see a firefighter in action! At least now she knows what they look like. They let the kids come up and bang on their helmet and shake their hand.
The Band-Aid Box! The Department calls the squad the Band-Aid Box. They piled the whole school in the squad and showed them all of the cool equipment for "boo-boo's" They gave them all blue gloves which were a huge hit for the kids.

Engine #1 Michaela got to climb in the firetruck. The seats were huge! I climbed in for the first time, too.They use this truck mainly for car accidents. They showed us all of the tools and the "jaws of life." I am very grateful for all those men and women who are out there protecting me and my children! Sit in their seats for a second...makes you realize how fragile life is.!


The students all received a firemen's hat and a coloring book!

Squirting the water!!! With a real Firemen's hose! How cool is that? The look on some of the students faces was priceless when they saw that water shoot out. To be a kid, again! Next year I have got to try that.

I love this picture. It was looking through all my pictures that I had taken and I ran across this one and it was my favorite. It brought tears to my eyes. (Call me dramatic, what else is new) Look at the size of his hands compared to Michaela's. It is proof that there are still some good people out there trying to protect and serve our children. People trying to make the world a safer place.....Not just letting a kid squirt water out of a hose ;)

Walk to School Day!

Raegan's school celebrated Walk To School Day this week. This was a huge deal for her. We met up at a friends house and she was able to walk with her friends this time. It was a wild morning. I was not able to take any more pictures than this. Just imagine trick or treating at 8:00 am with back packs! It was adorable. They had been spending all week learning about safety. The Police Department and Fire Fighters have been in to talk to the students and gave them all goodie bags. They had extra crossing guards out, too. She had so much fun!

Spider-Man!

I made this cake yesterday!

Breaking The Rules!

I swore I would never let my kids ride in those shopping carts that have the cars attached to them...Well! Michaela runs right to the anti-bacterial wipes and pulls one out and starts scrubbing down her car! How do you say no to that? She "drives" all through the store now saying over and over..."I am a good driver, Mommy!" It is the only way I can shop. Tommy refuses to use one! We will all starve ...Poor Michaela!

Raegan lucked out on Sunday. She got to ride with her. I try to run my errands when the older girls are in school. We had just picked Raegan up from her friend's house. Both girls had blue ring pops on the way to the store! Love their blue smiles!

A Visit With Grandpa!

My Grandpa turned 71 today! We were able to go and visit with him in the nursing home. His new roommate went to the hospital, so we had the room to ourselves. I cannot tell you how good it felt to be near my Grandpa, again. I miss him so bad. After he had his last stroke he gets very emotional. He has no concept of time. He has no concept of the fact that some family members have passed away. Any conversation could upset him and make him cry. I have a hard time dealing with that. Today, was a good day. I will hold that in my heart for a long time. I may never forget it.

Michaela, Granny, and I went to the store to get Pa some balloons, while the older girls were in school. (Michaela sent one up to heaven with the wind while getting into the van.) After I picked the girls up from school we all headed to the nursing home!

Mom, Granny, Taylor, Raegan, Michaela, and I invaded his room. He was so touched to have us all there at one time. That is rare these days. He said "Look at my piles of girls." Of course he was very moved and the tears came...His nurses would come in and point out to them how beautiful his family was. The girls all talked to him, checked out all of his pictures, explored the halls, and drew some pictures for his room. He kept telling me "That I had wonderful days ahead of me!" He assured him that "my best days are already here." Raegan wrote him a letter when she was there and it brought us all to tears. It talked about how much she loves him and how great he is!

Life is precious! It is beautiful! Family is so important. I pray every night that Grandpa is full of happy memories of us..."Piles of his beautiful girls!"

Community Helpers!

We are learning about Community Helpers at preschool, this month. One of preschool Mom's (and also a good friend of mine) is a school bus driver! The children had a chance to get on the bus and explore it. Michaela loved it! I was concerned she would be attached to her teacher's hip. She announced the morning before that "She didn't like school buses. They were too noisy!" Look for more pictures of special guests! We have some of the finest nurses, police officers, and fireman coming in!

Halloween is Coming!

I made this cake last night. It is hard to see the yellow "glowing eyes and mouth." I think it turned out cute!